PALLIATIVE ALLIANCE

More west Aucklanders will benefit from palliative care thanks to a new cross-Auckland hospice alliance. Aucklanders getting palliative care too late in their journey won’t have to wait too long to get assistance with the region-wide hospice approach and a $2.2 million funding from the Ministry of Health on July 17. Hospice Auckland’s Barbara Williams said this would allow more people to get earlier access to the best possible care and the opportunity for improved quality of life during their final months.

BIKE TRACK OPENS

Ranui Primary School opened its new bike track on July 25, becoming the 25th Auckland school with a track especially for bikes. The initiative was a part of Bikes in Schools run by the New Zealand Charitable Trust, as a way to help children learn to bike and start riding on a regular basis.

POOL SAUNA CLOSED

The sauna at Westwave Pool will be open soon, Auckland Council says. The sauna has been closed for two weeks because of a broken bench. Council said it was looking to replace the bench as soon as possible to make the sauna safer for usage.

KUPE SCHOLARSHIP

West Auckland’s Matt Howling is on his way to achieving his dream of becoming a secondary school sports teacher. He was awarded a Kupe scholarship on July 19 to study a diploma in teaching in secondary school at the University of Auckland. The scholarship would cover his course fees and an extra $15,000 would go towards study allowance, professional mentoring and assistance with finding a job. Howling was already doing a degree programme in sports.

BROWNE MURDER TRIAL

Anna Eiao Browne, the woman accused of stabbing mother-oftwo Carly Stewart to death with a kitchen knife in Te Atatu on October 15, 2016 is currently on trial at the Auckland High Court. Browne, 36, was accused of stabbing her friend after an argument at a girls’ pamper party.